Staff Electric Propulsion Engineer

5w1 month ago

VAST

Long Beach, US · Full-time · $137,760 – $230,472

About this role

Vast's mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. They seek a Staff Electric Propulsion Engineer to own EP system development and integration for a new constellation-ready spacecraft bus designed to scale to hundreds of spacecraft per year.

You'll own the electric propulsion system for the bus from thruster selection and qualification through flight integration and on-orbit performance. The EP system handles orbit raising, stationkeeping, and end-of-life deorbit for every satellite in the constellation.

You'll work alongside a small, experienced propulsion team already making architecture decisions. This role adds depth and bandwidth as the program moves from trades into hardware. The real challenge is production — building an EP subsystem that scales to hundreds of spacecraft per year.

Every design decision balances performance against manufacturability, testability, and cost at rate. You'll also be the EP system's interface to the rest of the bus, coordinating with power, thermal, and GNC leads. This role offers the chance to shape a scalable propulsion architecture from the ground up.

Requirements

Experience with electric propulsion thruster selection, qualification, and integration for spacecraft
Knowledge of power processing unit (PPU) requirements and development
Experience designing propellant feed systems including tanks, valves, and pressure regulation
Ability to perform thruster performance characterization and lifetime modeling
Experience integrating EP subsystems with spacecraft bus (mechanical, power, thermal, and propellant interfaces)
Experience coordinating with cross-functional teams: power, thermal, and GNC
Understanding of orbit-raising, stationkeeping, and deorbit maneuver planning and delta-V budgeting
Familiarity with production-focused design for manufacturability and testability at scale

Responsibilities

Own EP thruster integration, acceptance testing, and qualification for the spacecraft bus
Drive thruster selection and procurement, evaluating vendor options and managing performance requirements
Own PPU requirements and development oversight, coordinating with the electronics lead or managing vendor procurement
Design the propellant feed system including tanks, valves, pressure regulation, and flow control
Perform thruster performance characterization across the operating envelope
Develop thruster lifetime models and predict degradation for mission-duration operation
Own EP system integration with the spacecraft bus across mechanical, power, thermal, and propellant interfaces
Design orbit-raising, stationkeeping, and deorbit maneuver strategies including delta-V budgets and burn planning